


welcome back

by FancifulRivers



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Gen, Healing, I have so many feelings about White-Actually Pink Pearl okay, Post-Episode s05e29-32 Change Your Mind, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Spoilers for Episode: s05e29-32 Change Your Mind, Steven Universe: Diamond Days, she deserves the world
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-27
Updated: 2019-01-27
Packaged: 2019-10-17 08:46:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 697
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17557133
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FancifulRivers/pseuds/FancifulRivers
Summary: Pink Pearl returns to herself.





	welcome back

The white shatters.

Gone in an instant, the soothing blanket, the painful numbness that has swallowed you whole for so long. You collapse, a puppet whose strings have been cut. Everything hurts, especially your eye. Tentative fingers come up, exploring the cracks that spiderweb across one side of your face. They burn to the touch. You can't remember what happened. You can't remember  _anything_ and that frightens you. There was Pink- and you were devoted to Pink- but then there was White and now-

Now, there is nothing.

Someone comes up to you. There is something painfully familiar about them. Perhaps that's what lets you say something, squeezed past disused vocal cords.

"What happened?" You question, plaintive. "Where am I?"

"Welcome back," they say. The touch of their hand on your shoulder is warm.

The rest of the day is a blur. You find yourself sequestered with Yellow Pearl and Blue Pearl. These faces, at least, are familiar. They don't seem to know what to do with you. You are no longer white. You are pink. It startles you, looking down and seeing the vibrant pink flush to your skin.

"How do you feel?" Blue Pearl asks softly. You don't know how to answer her. It has been so long since anybody cared about the answer.

"How do you think she feels?" Yellow Pearl answers for you. Her voice is as sharp as her Diamond's. It is strangely comforting. "She's returned to herself." But are you? You are no longer Pink's pearl, after all. Through the excited chatter around you, you have discerned that the person who touched you, who asked you if you are all right, is Pink's new form. But they have another pearl. A new pearl. You know that pearl, although it hurts when you think about her.

You are no one's pearl now. Does that make you no one?

The other pearl comes in. She sees you and nervously adjusts her jacket with fluttering, thin fingers.

"Pink-" she starts to greet you, but you shake your head, trembling. You don't belong to Pink anymore. The name slides away from you, like pebbles through the cracks in the wall.

"Steven wants to see you," she changes, tone growing brisk. You remember. 'Steven' is the name that Pink's new form has taken. It is clumsy on your tongue, but you suppose you can get used to it.

You glide down the hallway behind her. After so long, it is hard not to hold your hands up, not to point your toes. 

"I'm sorry," Pearl whispers. "I didn't- I should have-" She stops, takes a deep breath, trying to compose herself. "You didn't deserve that," she says earnestly. "Any of that."

"It is not your fault," you say. Your throat hurts.

"No," she admits. "But that doesn't mean I'm not sorry for what happened to you."

You don't know what to say to that.

Steven is in the middle of Pink's old room, with a cluster of other gems. They look up when they see you enter and beam. You are not used to others being excited by your presence anymore.

"If it's okay with you, I want to try to heal you," Steven tells you, pointing to the cracked side of your face. Your mouth falls open in surprise. No one offers to fix a  _pearl_. If a pearl has a defect, they are shattered. They are thrown away, like so much debris. It is- unprecedented, and your arms wrap around you, not knowing what else to do.

"You can answer either way," the other pearl whispers comfortingly in your ear. Her touch on your arm steadies you more than you thought it would. "He only wants to help."

"Okay," you say. Your voice shakes, as you close your remaining eye, not willing to face the unknown. Something cool and slightly sticky presses against the cracks, making you shudder. There's a brilliant flash of light against the inside of your eyelids and you stagger back, caught by the other pearl.

When you open your eyes again, you can see out of both of them.

"Thank you," you whisper as slowly, quietly, you start to cry.


End file.
